Overview
Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and a multi-ethnic and multilingual country. It consists of ethnic minorities such as: Hausa / Fulani, Yoruba, Igbo, Ijaw, Efik, Ibibio, Bini, Nupe, Igala, Urhobo, Itsekiri, etc., each with its own unique language. The multi-ethnic and multilingual nature of this country creates an equally multicultural environment. Nigeria's cultural diversity is reflected in her people's literary and artistic careers: poetry, prose, painting, music, sculpture, drama, dance, etc.
Former colonial
As an art form, poetry has experienced the evolution from the pre-colonial era to the colonial period, to the post-colonial era of Nigeria and the evolution of the contemporary era. Poetry in the pre-colonial era is unwritten. There is a thin line between poets and musicians who create and present poetry in musical form. The poet then likes Mazi Oparan' aku Onyeukwu [the writer's grandfather], Umude Avuvu, now Ik State Nigeria in the local government area of Ikeduru, whose night poetry interpretation earned him the nickname "Obe na abali" meaning "night sound ", publish their works, wedding ceremonies, etc. in the form of deductions." Then the poet is also prominent in improving the morale of the tribal warriors, and it is also used as a diviner of Joseph's Ifa practice. race. Their presence in the palace is also considered a royal appliance. Then, the theme of poetry advocated virtue and condemned vices in a society that was compressed at the time. One of the characteristics of Nigerian poetry in the pre-colonial period that was lacking in other eras was its spiritual orientation. The poets of that era have a close relationship with the gods worshipped in their culture. In most of the pre-colonial Nigerian culture, the poet was regarded as the anointed slogan of the gods and was prescribed as a quasi-practice. Also worth noting is the survivor of the [oral] poetry of this era, who still finds expressions in the work of the modern Nigerian Oral Literature School, such as Professor Wande Abimbola.
Colonial poetry
The introduction of Western-style education by colonial missionaries in Nigeria has fundamentally changed the form of poetry. This generation of Nigerian poets is like; Wole Soyinka, John Pepper-Clark, Christopher Okigbo, Gabriel Okara, etc., after obtaining Western education, in the form of books Their poems were published and played on the stage of radio and television stations as well as semi-modern theatres. However, these themes are mainly focused on opposing colonialism, which is considered a vice. The theme of poetry in the colonial period tended to be academic, leading to the tendency of weaving poetry of that era to attract members of the academic community. The polarization of international politics and economy into capitalism and socialism also influenced the themes of Nigerian poets in the colonial era, most of which were educated in Europe and the United States. When assessing the works of Nigerian poets of this era, the impact of this polarization will be better understood.
Post colonial poetry
At the end of colonialism, the post-colonial Nigerian poet now accepted technical education, completely changing the style and theme of poetry creation and interpretation. Compressing the theme of Nigerian poetry in the post-colonial era into a specific mold is somewhat difficult. This is because the poets of this era must attract a variety of socio-economic, political and cultural tendencies. Even in this difficulty, post-colonial Nigerian poets such as Niyi Osundare, Onwuchekwa Jemie, Chari Ada Onwu, etc. have successfully focused on social, political and cultural related themes.
Contemporary poetry
Contemporary Nigerian poets such as Obi Nwakanma, Odia Ofeimun, Chidi Anthony Opara, Ogaga Ifowodo, Maik Nwosu, Sola Osofisan, etc., mainly publish their poems on the Internet, and play exquisite audiovisual instruments in ultra-modern through the same complex audiovisual broadcast channels. On the stage of the theater. One of the main challenges faced by Nigerian poets of this era is the incompetence and/or dependence of literary critics, who should often be the fulcrum of qualitative literary craftsmanship to elevate their own skills in response to the challenges of literary works. Internet Age. Another major problem is that contemporary Nigeria mistakenly believes that poetry is only an intellectual activity and should not emphasize entertainment content. Contemporary poets in other parts of the world were using this aspect of entertainment to enhance themselves and society, both in terms of professionalism, economics, politics, society and culture. Contemporary Nigerian poets still believe that their craftsmanship comes from the wrong poetry prism is just an intelligence. Exercise, with its professional, economic, political, social and cultural consequences. However, the publication of Internet poetry made a great contribution to the collapse of poetry hegemony formed by the Ibadan-Yves-Lagos and Ensuka-Enugu-Owerri literary axes immediately after the Nigerian civil war.
Orignal From: Evolution of poetry in Nigeria
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